This invention relates generally to woodwind musical instruments of the clarinet, oboe, and saxophone families, and, more particularly, to an improved thumb rest for such instruments.
The modern clarinet, saxophone and oboe are woodwind instruments having a cylindrical bore and single reed mouthpiece, a conical bore and single reed mouthpiece, and a conical bore and double reed, respectively. The varying musical sounds of such instruments are produced by selectively covering and uncovering tone holes in the body of the instrument, either directly with the fingers, or indirectly through finger-accuated keys. Both hands of the musician are required to operate the instrument. The hands are placed in contact with the instrument, one above the other, in a relatively fixed location. In this position, the fingers are lifted or depressed to produce notes.
During playing the weight of clarinets, oboes and saxophones is supported in a similar manner. Typically, the right hand of the player is the lower hand on the instrument and supports the instrument. The weight of the instrument is supported to a great extent by the thumb of the lower hand, and a projection termed the thumb rest is provided for this purpose. The thumb of the lower hand is placed below the thumb rest, so that the inner side surface of the thumb contacts the thumb rest, thereby supporting the instrument.
The position and general flexure of the hands and fingers is important to the proper playing of woodwind instruments. The arrangement of the human hand is such that the thumb and fingers generally form a "U" shape when the hand is open, and this changes slightly toward an "O" shape when the instrument is grasped for playing and the fingers are placed in their proper positions. A relaxed positioning of the fingers should ensure a minimal amount of tension as well as correct positioning of the fingers for achieving a dexterous, quick and smooth up-and-down movement. With such positioning, each finger is properly aligned for efficient opening and closing of the tone holes. This positioning also allows each joint of a finger to remain in a relatively fixed position, forming with its adjacent joints a gentle arc. When the finger is moved during playing, the joints on the finger remain in a relatively fixed position and movement is provided from the joint at the point where each finger is attached to the palm of the hand. If the hand is in too closed or too open a position, the fingers cannot properly operate in this manner and the ability of the player is inhibited.
The thumb of the lower hand does not operate any tone holes, but its positioning significantly affects the curvature and tension in the fingers of that hand. The position and orientation of the instrument is determined, to a large extent, by the proper positioning of the thumb in contact with the thumb rest. The positioning of the thumb directly determines the distance between the body of the instrument and the palm of the lower hand, thereby determining the necessary arc for the fingers to contact the tone holes and keys. If the thumb is not properly positioned in relation to the thumb rest, the fingers may be either overextended, requiring a flat arc and making it difficult to reach the tone holes, or the fingers may be bent too sharply, with the result that the fingers are cramped and constricted in their movement.
Additionally, the woodwind instruments are heavy, and the thumb of the lower hand, engaging the thumb rest, must provide much of the support for the instrument. Playing periods of long duration may tire the muscles of the thumb, thereby inducing tension. This tension may be transmitted to the balance of the hand, the fingers, the wrist and forearm. Faced with this tension and tiredness of the muscles, the player of the instrument may compensate by adjusting the position of his hands in relation to the instrument, and may depart from the correct positioning for the best playing of the instrument. Thus, proper positioning of the thumb of the lower hand in relation to the thumb rest is of critical importance in allowing the player to maintain optimal playing position.
The problems noted above are particularly acute for beginning students of the instruments. Beginners sometimes do not naturally adopt the correct hand and finger positioning on the instrument, and this positioning must be taught. If the student's natural tendency is to adopt a position other than the proper one, during long practice and performance periods the natural tendency of the player may be to compensate for the heavy weight of the instrument by changing the hand position so as to either overextend or cramp the fingers. Bad habits may therefore be developed, particularly when the student is not being closely watched by the instructor.
The conventional thumb rest, which has been in general use since the 17th century, is a fixed metal projection covered with cork or felt and having a slight curvature convex to the thumb. Such conventional thumb rests are typically approximately one-half inch by one-half inch in size, and provide no positive indication as to the proper positioning of the thumb. One improvement to this basic thumb rest has increased the effective surface area by introducing padding to improve the player's comfort. Another improvement has introduced a thumb rest shaped to engage the end of the player's thumb and having limited adjustability. Another improvement has provided for limited axial and rotational adjustment of the conventional thumb rest. Prior improvements have not, however, provided for an improved support surface for the player's thumb which simultaneously induced proper positioning of the thumb, hand, and fingers.
Accordingly, there has been a need for an improved thumb rest assembly that simultaneously assists the player in properly positioning his lower hand and also provides for improved support of the weight of the instrument over a larger area of the thumb, thereby improving the comfort of the performer. The present invention fulfills this need.